Enter A Real Time Machine – The Newseum in Washington D.C.
By Jim DeLillo
I stepped out of my hotel and into a time machine.
Transported back, not in the typical resurrected town like Williamsburg, Va. or quaint seaport village like Mystic, Ct., but truly back where I remembered with emotions raw enough to bring tears to my eyes. The images I saw were contemporary and vivid. I lived them, and here I relived them. I was standing in the Newseum, Washington DC’s newest museum of the news media, hence it portmanteau of a name.
Now before you doubt my opening, let me assure you that I am sincere in what I felt. Boyhood wonder came flooding back in watching the broadcasts of the space race, fear trickled through my fingertips in reading news about Hiroshima, and being a photographer I stood in sheer awe, mouth agape at the Pulitzer Prize winning photos.
Here I did not just see the images, but each one captioned with the full story behind its creation and the man or woman that captured that moment. They became so real for me. It was as if I was looking through the viewfinder in complete empathy with the imager, drawn into the intimacy of the scene.
My most poignant moment came when I reached the display for 9-11. I sat through the heart-wrenching movie and relived that day. Just outside the theatre was a display dedicated to Photographer William Biggart who lost his life when the second tower of the World Trade Center collapsed.
The Newseum’s collection includes radio, print, and television. It chronicles over 500 years of journalism here. The history of history, if you will. Among its six floors, you will find actual full size pieces of the Berlin Wall, and a forty-foot guard tower from near Checkpoint Charlie (not replicas), sports, comics, and the current day’s front pages from all fifty states.
The Newseum is a must-see stop when visiting Washington DC
The Newseum is located at:
Pennsylvania Avenue and Sixth Street, N.W., Washington, DC.
Hours of Operation
The Newseum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
General Admission
Good for admission on two consecutive days. Tickets may also be purchased at the Newseum’s ticketing kiosks and admissions desk.
Adults (19 to 64)
$19.95 plus tax
Seniors (65+), military and students with valid ID
$17.95 plus tax
Youth (7 to 18)
$12.95 plus tax
Children (6 and younger)
Free
Website http://www.newseum.org
